Cosenza

Cosenza is a city and comune in the region of Calabria in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Cosenza. It has a population of about 63,000, making it the fifth-largest city in Calabria, while its urban area counts more than 250,000 inhabitants and includes Rende, where the University of Calabria is located. The ancient Consentia was the capital of the Italic tribe of the Brettii, and under Augustus it became an important stopover on the Roman route via Popilia between Calabria and Sicily. It stands 238 metres above sea level at the confluence of the Busento and Crati rivers, in a valley between the Sila and the coastal range, and has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. The city is the seat of the Cosentian Academy, one of the oldest academies of philosophical and literary studies in Italy and Europe, whose members included the philosopher Bernardino Telesio.